Cortez leads in early voting

Former City Councilman Philip Cortez leads a field of three vying for the Democratic nomination to the District 117 seat in Texas’s House of Representatives, though it appears likely that he’ll be headed to a runoff election.

In early voting, Cortez holds a marginal lead over opponents Ken Mireles and Tina Torres. Voters cast 2,161 ballots early; Cortez garnered 35.77 percent. Mireles has 32.44 percent and Torres is trailing with 31.79 percent of the vote.

It’s too early to tell in this neck-and-neck race which two will end up in a runoff.

The winner of this race will ultimately face incumbent John Garza in November.